2007 Audi S5

Audi has not offered a 2 door, full-size car for sale in North America for almost 15 years. While they had achieved great success in the 1980’s campaigning their 2 door Quattro rally cars around the world, for some reason in the 90’s they decided to cede the German coupe market entirely to Mercedes and BMW. Interestingly, instead of making a coupe based on their entry-level A4 series, Audi instead first experimented with offering an S4 convertible in the 2000’s. Finding an interested market, they decided to brand the hardtop edition as the S5, instead of the S4 coupe. This lead to the genesis of the 2007 Audi S5.

The S-line of cars from Audi have always been particularly potent versions of their standard sedans. With the S5 coupe, Audi has fitted the all-wheel drive vehicle with an extremely impressive 4.2 liter direct-injection V8 engine. Forgoing the turbochargers that were a hallmark of S-line vehicles from the past, the S5 throws down 354 horsepower and shoots to 60 miles per hour like a rocket in only 4.8 seconds. The quarter mile vanishes in an equally impressive 13.4 seconds. A 6-speed manual transmission is connected to aggressive gearing in order to motivate the somewhat heavy S5 to these unassailable numbers. Not only that, but in place of turbo-whine, drivers are instead treated to a refined growl from the V8’s exquisitely tuned exhaust pipes.

In order to create the coupe, Audi chose to use the same architecture used underneath the new A4, and destined to be the platform for future A6 and A8 models. For the S5, Audi decided to push the front differential 6 inches closer to the front of the car than on the A4, and this allowed them to place the front wheels as close as possible to front of the car, lopping off a great deal of overhang. The steering rack was also moved in order to create a more favorable center of gravity for the car. Both of these efforts combine to make the S5 feel more nimble than the A4. The extra weight in the front of the car is somewhat balanced by the distribution of 60 percent of the vehicle’s torque to the rear wheels through the Quattro all-wheel drive system.

Like most new Audi’s, once inside you will feel almost completely enclosed by the high door sills – an almost convertible-like experience. The rear seats are actually usable for adults, a rarity in most coupes, and they fold down in order to increase the already voluminous trunk space. Interior goodies include a rear-view camera to assist with parking or figuring out if the vehicle approaching quickly behind you is a police car or not. A navigation system is also offered along with a Bang and Olufsen stereo, and sport seats grip the sides of driver and passenger alike through aggressive cornering. Stainless steel, carbon fiber or wood accents can be had throughout the interior, and small touches around the cabin remind people that they are in an S-car.

It seems that with the S5 Audi has decided to pursue the market normally shopping for a BMW 335i instead of targetting the M3 crowd. The RS4 has somewhat usurped the ultra-high performance role in Audi’s lineup, and as a result the S and RS designation have become a bit cloudy. Buyers used to know that when they bought an S car they had reached the top of the line for that market segment, but this seems to be no longer the case. It will be interesting to see how many S4 buyers Audi can tempt into their attractive coupe over the next few years.






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June 8, 2008, 9:13 am